The benefit of using this solution is that you’ll be able to make auto-generated vector tracings of your images using Inkscape’s powerful Trace Bitmap feature. From there the UI is pretty self-explanatory, but feel free to check out this tutorial I made in case you need help: Once you have Inkscape opened, all you have to do is import your image and open the Trace Bitmap menu by pressing Shift + Alt + B on your keyboard. Believe it or not, it’s capable of far more than Affinity Designer is. I promise you though, Inkscape is worth a try. I know the feeling of hesitation that comes with downloading yet another application though - especially if it’s to use a really standard feature that wasn’t included in a product you purchased. I’ve used it as my preferred vector graphics tool for over a decade, and have served thousands of freelance clients with it. Inkscape is a free and open source vector graphics editor.Īny regular visitor to this website is surely no stranger to Inkscape. Inkscape is a free and open source vector graphics editor that is similar to both Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer. If this describes you then you may want to consider one of the other two solutions.

However, if your design is large and complex, then manually tracing it probably isn’t the best approach, or even possible for that matter. The downside of using an automated tracing feature is that it very rarely traces over your image with absolute precision. This method may be right for you if your image is simple enough to trace manually, or if you have something that needs to be traced with precision. In fact, I created a video tutorial demonstrating how to do so:

This can be done by simply drawing individual elements right on top of your image, and then coloring them in using the Color Picker tool. The only real way to go about vector image tracing with Affinity Designer is to do so manually using the Pen Tool.

Inkscape centerline trace